Qianpu Middle School has both junior and senior high school departments, with Gu Yulan studying in the junior high section.
The junior and senior high school departments are located far apart. Due to the greater academic pressure in senior high, which requires a quieter learning environment, the senior high department is situated in a part of the campus further away from the school gates.
By the time Gu Yuqing and Shi Li reached the school gate, Gu Yulan had already been waiting for a while.
Gu Yulan looked quite different from when she had first been brought back to the Gu family a few days ago.
Her sun-tanned skin would take a few years to fade back, but the timidity that once showed on her face was gone, replaced by a calm confidence that radiated from within.
Shi Li thought, [The Gu family found her at just the right time]
At this point, she didn't yet have the obsessions and fixations that she would develop in her previous life after being found.
Even though her adoptive parents hadn't treated her well, at this time her adoptive father had only coveted his adopted daughter without taking action, and she didn't have the burden of a human life on her conscience.
[I wonder if she'll fall hopelessly in love with Feng Yunhe again after she meets him]
At this moment, the person in question's elder sister furrowed her brow, the depth of the wrinkles between her eyebrows rivaling the Mariana Trench, deep enough to drown 6,096.13 Feng Yunhes stacked vertically (with one standing on another's head).
(Quiz without prize: The deepest part of the Mariana Trench is 11,034 meters, how tall is Feng Yunhe?)
How old are you, Feng Yunhe?
Why is it always you, Feng Yunhe?
What charm do you possess that makes so many people lose their minds over you?
Isn't it enough that Shi Li lives and dies for you, banging her head against the wall?
Now you have to harm her sister too?
A modern-day male fox spirit?
Feng Yunhe, is it? He's now her number one enemy.
She felt ashamed for having chased after Feng Yunhe in her foolish youth.
Back then, when she first saw Feng Yunhe, she thought he looked incredibly cool and was the most handsome boy she had ever seen.
His mannerisms were also quite pretentious, though at the time she thought he was
But the most important point was that her archenemy, Shi Li, had been infatuated with Feng Yunhe for many years.
If she could win over the person her nemesis loved, wouldn't that prove she had the upper hand over Shi Li?
The idea of besting Shi Li was far more appealing than actually pursuing Feng Yunhe himself.
Feng Yunhe's aloofness towards women caused Gu Yuqing's pursuit to end before it truly began.
She only tried for two days before giving up completely.
At the time, she thought that if Feng Yunhe really ended up with Shi Li, it might not be a bad form of revenge against Shi Li.
Now if you asked her to choose between five cents or the chance to hold hands and kiss Feng Yunhe, she would undoubtedly choose the five cents without hesitation.
If she hesitated even for a second, it would be disrespectful to Feng Yunhe.
Gu Yuqing couldn't help but marvel at how times had changed. In just a month, her attitude had undergone a complete transformation.
She used to hope that Shi Li would remain devoted to Feng Yunhe for life, but now she wanted nothing more than to crack open Shi Li's skull with a hammer and give her love-addled brain a good wash.
It was already terrifying enough that Shi Li liked Feng Yunhe, but even more frightening was Shi Li's claim that her little sister would also come to like Feng Yunhe.
What kind of scenario was this, two women fighting over one man?
That wasn't quite right either; the girls who liked Feng Yunhe could fill several train cars.
[Feng Yunhe is her second tribulation]
Gu Yuqing: Although, but, as if you're any different.
Shi Li's inner thoughts could cause severe damage to anyone who could hear them.
The three of them walked to a study room near the school, with Gu Yuqing still looking absent-minded.
This "Pearl Study Room" was quite popular among Qianpu students due to its nice decor and environment.
When the three entered the study room, most of the seats were already occupied.
Shi Li chose a seat near the window and sat down, with Gu Yulan sitting right next to her.
Gu Yuqing had been lost in thought the whole way and hadn't noticed that Shi Li and Gu Yulan had been chatting throughout the journey.
Shi Li felt somewhat sorry for this girl who had endured so much hardship and was willing to spend more time with her.
Gu Yuqing sat down next to Gu Yulan, staring absent-mindedly at the passersby outside the window.
She thought, since Feng Yunhe was such a troublemaker, and both Shi Li and her sister liked him, maybe it would be better if he just disappeared altogether.
Gu Yuqing's thoughts were interrupted by her phone screen lighting up on the desk. She opened the notification to find that the class monitor had created another group chat, this one including the homeroom teacher but not Shi Li.
He hadn't added the homeroom teacher to the previous group chat, considering the need to leave some private space for everyone.
This was really a boring group message, Gu Yuqing thought with a grimace. Now her phone was full of chat groups, too many to count.
Shi Li had barely opened her practice book when her attention was drawn to a milk tea on a girl's desk not far away.
This milk tea was very popular among Qianpu students, with its only drawback being that it could only be ordered on-site, not delivered.
Coincidentally, the milk tea shop was just fifty meters away from the study room.
On a cold winter day, holding a cup of steaming milk tea was such a pleasant thing.
Shi Li whispered to the Gu sisters, "I'm going to buy some milk tea. Text me what you want, and I'll bring it back for you."
Gu Yuqing wanted to accompany Shi Li, thinking it would be a good opportunity to bond.
But Shi Li said, "You stay here with your sister. I'll be fine on my own. Don't worry, I won't get lost. I'll be back soon."
As she spoke, she had already put on her down jacket and tucked her phone into her pocket.
Gu Yuqing thought about it and realized the milk tea shop was very close to the study room. She also didn't dare leave her newly found sister in an unfamiliar environment, even though her sister was now in middle school, taller than her, and no longer the little carrot-top who could easily be kidnapped.
Although her sister had been found, the damage was permanent.
They were afraid to let their sister go out alone, her parents video called her every three hours, and if they didn't see her for a long time, they worried she might have encountered bad people.
The study room was still quite warm, but as soon as Shi Li left, she wanted to bury her entire face in her down jacket.
After the winter solstice, the temperature dropped day by day. She desperately needed a hot milk tea to warm up, even instant milk tea would do.
The north wind cut like a knife against her face, and Shi Li faintly heard what seemed to be weak whimpering mixed in with the wind.
Her hat blocked out the cold but also muffled some of the external sounds.
Shi Li pulled off half of her hat, exposing her ears, and the earlier sound became clearer.
It sounded like baby animals, weak and feeble.
Shi Li's heart skipped a beat. In such cold winter weather, adult cats and dogs might survive, but baby animals could freeze to death.
She exposed her ears to the cold air and followed the direction of the sound.
Five minutes later, she found the source of the sound in a sheltered corner. It was a litter of kittens that hadn't even opened their eyes yet.
Based on Shi Li's knowledge, these kittens must have been born very recently.
The kittens were huddled together for warmth. Shi Li counted them – there were three in total.
Shi Li's heart melted at the sight, feeling sorry for the three little kittens in the cold wind.
[Where has your mother gone?]
[Has she gone out to find food?]
Shi Li had already cradled the kittens in the hem of her down jacket, but she worried that when the mother cat returned from foraging, she would be distressed to find her home stolen and her kittens missing.
A clear male voice came from behind her, tinged with a hint of confusion, "Shi Li?"
Shi Li had been so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed someone approaching from behind.
She turned around and found that the newcomer was a familiar face.
Seeing Fu Huixing, Shi Li was a bit surprised, "What are you doing here?"
At his feet, a tabby cat was hissing at her, its demeanor impossible to ignore.
Clearly, this was the mother cat whose children had been "stolen."
